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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. court — for sport
  4. court — of a king
  5. land — to come down
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. saw — the tool
  9. land — ground
  10. track — a song
  11. saw — the tool
  12. pop — music
  13. content — the amount
  14. fine — high quality
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. track — to keep track
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. track — a path
  19. pop — to visit
  20. land — a country
  21. content — happy
  22. court — of law
  23. fine — all right
  24. foot — a measure

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com